Written Answers Nos. 235-249
235. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the current total strength of Air Corps personnel; and the number of qualified military pilots, cadet pilots in training, qualified military aircraft maintenance technicians, qualified military avionics technicians and military apprentices in training of both disciplines. [61080/21]
View answerThe military authorities have advised that, as at 8th December 2021, the current strength of the Air Corps stood at 769 wholetime equivalent personnel.
The breakdowns requested are currently being compiled and will be provided to the Deputy as soon as it is available.
My focus remains on retaining/restoring all branches of the Defence Forces at their full capacity.
236. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the number of Naval Service operations and patrols which have been cancelled to date in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61081/21]
View answerThe Naval Service is the State's principal sea-going agency and is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. The primary day-to-day tasking of the Naval Service is to provide a fishery protection service in accordance with the State's obligations as a member of the European Union. In terms of fishery protection the Naval Service is tasked with patrolling all Irish waters from the shoreline to the outer limits of the Exclusive Economic Zone. These patrols are carried out on a regular and frequent basis and are directed to all areas of Irish waters as necessary.
Scheduled patrol days can be impacted by a range of factors including adverse weather conditions and unscheduled maintenance, as well as staffing issues.
The number of scheduled Naval Service patrols days which have been cancelled this year up to 30 November 2021 are 224 across the Naval Service fleet.
Notwithstanding some mechanical and staffing issues being experienced, the Naval Service continues to carry out the roles assigned by Government, including fishery protection and maritime security operations.
237. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the number of women in the Defence Forces by rank; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61082/21]
View answer238. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the number of women in the Defence Forces who are currently serving overseas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61083/21]
View answer239. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Defence the number of women members of the Defence Forces who have left to date in 2021, by month; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61084/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 237 to 239, inclusive, together.
As at 31st October 2021, the latest date for which such data is available, there were 561 Permanent Defence Force (PDF) personnel serving overseas, of which 20 were female.
On the same date, there were 8,572 wholetime equivalent personnel in the PDF of which 601 were female. The requested breakdown of this strength, by rank, is as follows:
I am advised by the military authorities that in 2021, as of 31st October, 42 female personnel left the Defence Forces. The breakdown by month is as follows:
|
Month |
January |
February |
March |
April |
May |
|
Females |
3 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
6 |
|
Month |
June |
July |
August |
September |
October |
|
Females |
4 |
6 |
2 |
6 |
8 |
Personnel discharge for a variety of reasons including on age grounds, at end of contract and voluntary discharges. Discharges also include trainees who exited prior to completion of their initial training.
In line with current policies and commitments a number of initiatives have been implemented to increase the level of female participation in the Permanent Defence Force. These include:
- Special consideration is paid to women as a target group for recruitment within the general recruitment framework.
- A Gender Equality and Diversity Officer has been appointed to promote gender equality policies and training within the Defence Forces. The Defence Forces are committed to gender equality and employ a gender perspective in the planning and execution of operations both at home and overseas and in all policies and regulations. Gender Advisors are available to all Brigades and Services and trained Gender Focal Points are deployed with all overseas units and ships in order to promote a gender perspective in operations.
- A Defence Forces Women's Network was established with the aim of increasing the participation of female personnel at all levels of the organisation.
Over the lifetime of the White Paper on Defence, a number of projects will be progressed to ensure the development and promotion of strategies that continue to support increased female participation in the Defence Forces.
The Government remains committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women throughout the Defence Forces and to the full participation by women in all aspects of Defence Forces activities.
240. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will receive a teaching pension decision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60901/21]
View answerI am pleased to inform the Deputy that the matter raised by the person concerned has been resolved and this was communicated to the individual on Friday 3rd December 2021.
241. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education the amount expended by her Department in each of the past five years to date in 2021 on electricity costs in tabular form; and if she will provide an additional schedule that sets out all energy costs associated with their ICT hardware, that is, servers and so on in tabular form. [60934/21]
View answerMy Department occupies three main campuses in Marlborough Street, Tullamore and Athlone. In addition, the Department also maintains the ESBS offices in Blanchardstown and 41 local offices throughout the country.
The table below displays the total the Department of Education has expended on electricity in each of the years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021.
Please note that it is not possible to separate the amount the Department expends on energy costs associated with ICT hardware alone. Therefore, the figures below include all electrical costs.
|
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
YEAR TO DATE 2021 |
|
€335,011.72 |
€401,133.05 |
€357,124.97 |
€375,852.16 |
€314,155.85 |
242. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Education the amount her Department spent on Covid-19-related advertising in the period from 1 January 2020 to 30 November 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60990/21]
View answerThe Department has engaged in a number of Covid-19 related awareness and advertising campaigns for the period outlined, which were necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
They include information campaigns relating to the arrangements for Calculated Grades in 2020 and Accredited Grades in 2021, and information for parents, students and the whole school community on the reopening of schools and on public health messaging relating to schools.
The total spend for the period in question is €474,897.18.
243. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Education the level of pre-planning consultation that was carried out by her Department in respect of a planning application (details supplied); if this pre-planning consultation was conducted by permanent staff of the building unit in her Department or by agents acting on her behalf; if following this pre-planning consultation her Department was confident given the pre-planning consultation outcomes that planning permission would issue; the persons in the local authority her Department consulted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60997/21]
View answerMy Department engages the services of a professional Project Manager and Design Team to assist with the provision of interim accommodation for the establishment of new schools including the school referred to by the Deputy. Our Project Manager and their team did have a standard pre-planning consultation with the local authority.
However, as with any planning application, there are a number of issues which may be outside of my Department's control which can impact the final decision of the local authority on the granting of planning permission including third party observations/objections.
My Department had no reason to believe, prior to the planning application, that planning permission might be refused in this instance. The pre-planning meeting was held with the appropriate planning personnel within the Local Authority.
244. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the lack of post-primary school places for children with additional education needs in north County Tipperary; if her Department will ensure that a student (details supplied) in County Tipperary has access to the appropriate ASD education supports in post-primary education for the 2022-2023 academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61020/21]
View answerEnabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government
The State currently spends in excess of 25% of its annual education and training budget (€9.2 Billion) on making additional provision for children with special educational needs.
This includes funding for a wide range of schemes and supports including special classes, special school places, SNAs and teachers.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide. The NCSE through the local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO), is available to support both families and schools regarding a suitable placement.
My Department works in close collaboration with the NCSE to ensure that the necessary provision is put in place on a timely basis throughout the country.
As your query refers to an individual placement case, I will arrange to have it referred to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.
245. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the lack of post-primary school places for children with additional education needs in north County Tipperary; if her Department will ensure that a student (details supplied) in County Tipperary has access to the appropriate ASD education supports in post-primary education for the 2022-2023 academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61023/21]
View answerEnabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government
The State currently spends in excess of 25% of its annual education and training budget (€9.2 Billion) on making additional provision for children with special educational needs.
This includes funding for a wide range of schemes and supports including special classes, special school places, SNAs and teachers.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide. The NCSE through the local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO), is available to support both families and schools regarding a suitable placement.
My Department works in close collaboration with the NCSE to ensure that the necessary provision is put in place on a timely basis throughout the country.
As your query refers to an individual placement case, I will arrange to have it referred to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.
246. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education the steps that have been taken to develop a new relationship and sexual education curriculum for the primary, junior and senior cycle; when it is anticipated they will be used in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61099/21]
View answerAccess to sexual and health education is an important right for students. Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) is mandatory in all primary schools and in post-primary Junior Cycle. Relationships and Sexuality Education (or RSE) is required at all levels, from Primary through to Senior Cycle. My Department has set out the content for each of these programmes in SPHE syllabuses and guidelines.
In April 2018, then Minister for Education and Skills Mr. Richard Bruton asked the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to undertake a major review of RSE in schools across all stages of education to ensure that it is fit for purpose and meets the needs of young people today in modern Ireland.
The NCCA were asked to look at a number of specific issues in respect of RSE and the curriculum, in particular the importance of consent and what it means. Other areas looked at included, but were not limited to: developments in relation to contraception; healthy, positive, sexual expression and relationships; safe use of the Internet; the role of school ethos: and, LGBTQ+ matters.
The Report on the Review of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in primary and post-primary schools was published by the NCCA on 11th of December, 2019.
As part of the review of RSE an extensive consultation occurred. Feedback was facilitated through an online survey, written submissions, round-table meetings and large events. Adjustments were made to the final report to reflect a stronger focus on issues that stakeholders wished to see highlighted, such as gender discrimination, sexual violence and pornography.
The purpose of the review was to examine the current experience of RSE within schools, the approach to teaching and learning, supports needed, and what is needed to improve RSE. It was not within the remit of the review or the Report to set out in detail what students should learn about in an updated RSE curriculum. Such considerations will be part of the work arising from the NCCA Report. The work in redeveloping and updating the curriculum is being undertaken within the curriculum development structures in the NCCA and there will be opportunities for public and stakeholder engagement in this process.
The Report does not set out an exhaustive list of the topics that will be included in any future SPHE/RSE curriculum or details on how any specific topic might be taught or contextualised. Important issues such as consent need to be taught within a wider context of particular issues and it is the view of the NCCA that guidance materials and professional development for teachers are needed to create this wider understanding of what is involved.
The NCCA has established two development groups for SPHE/RSE, one for primary and one for post-primary, to oversee the work in this area and support the development of guidance material for schools.
The immediate focus of the work is on creating support materials for teachers for publication online as part of the Interim Guidance Toolkit. The toolkit's purpose is to support effective teaching and learning of SPHE/RSE linked to the current curriculum. This work is progressing well and sections of the toolkit have been published already, with further sections being published on an ongoing basis.
In tandem with providing these immediate supports for teachers, preparation for the broader redeveloping and updating of the SPHE curriculum is well under way, with an initial focus on the Junior Cycle. The review of the current Junior Cycle SPHE course was approved by the NCCA Council in the summer. This review contains a brief which will inform the work of the subject development groups in formulating an updated Junior Cycle SPHE specification, which began in September.
Recognising the importance of the consultative approach the final round consultation will take place prior to finalising the new specification by end 2022. It is planned the new specification will be rolled out to all schools from September 2023 to facilitate CPD. The redevelopment of the Junior Cycle SPHE and RSE curriculum materials will be followed by the redevelopment of the Senior Cycle and Primary curriculums. Resources to equip teachers with the skills, competence and confidence to teach the curriculum effectively will also be developed.
The Department continues to work closely with the NCCA to determine the approach to best give effect to the commitment in the Programme for Government.
247. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education the working groups her Department has with industry; the members of the groups; and the way the members of each group were selected. [61104/21]
View answerI attach a table with details requested by the Deputy of working groups established by my Department on which there is an industry representative.
|
Name |
Industry Representatives |
Selection process |
|
Consultative Group - New Digital Strategy for Schools |
Una Fitzpatrick (IBEC) |
Relevant stakeholders, who were involved in the development of a previous strategy were contacted and asked to nominate a representative. |
|
STEM Education Policy Statement Implementation Advisory Group |
Claire McGee (IBEC) |
Representative nominated by IBEC |
|
Business and Industry STEM Education sub-group |
Claire McGee (IBEC) Aisling O’Donoghue (American Chamber of Commerce) |
Representatives nominated by the organisations |
|
Foreign Languages Advisory Group |
Sylvia Gaudino (IBEC) |
Representative nominated by IBEC |
|
Leaving Certificate Computer Science |
Claire Conneely (IBEC) |
Representative nominated by IBEC |
|
P-TECH Pilot Project Steering Committee and working groups |
Representatives from: IBM; Irish Life; Virgin Media; Irish Water; and Cisco |
IBM are the Industry Lead on P-TECH and co-ordinate the industry partner engagement with the project |
|
Leaving Certificate Computer Science Framework Group |
Melanie Nethercott (IBEC) |
Selection process for the framework group was managed by the Leaving Certificate Computer Science (LCCS) Steering Group which is a Department steering group |
|
Technical Working Group for the Review of the School Transport Scheme |
Miriam Flynn (Bus Éireann) |
Relevant nominees in fields of expertise relevant to the review were contacted and invited to join the group. |
|
Steering Group for the Review of the School Transport Scheme |
Stephen Kent (Bus Éireann) |
Relevant nominees in fields of expertise relevant to the review were contacted and invited to join the group. |
248. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the fact that not all principals have received the document FAQ in relation to face masks and coverings in primary schools as of 6 December 2021; her views on whether this is sufficient; and if she will review the way her Department communicates with principals to ensure safe, reliable and timely information. [61113/21]
View answerThe Department makes every effort to ensure that schools receive timely guidance given the evolving nature of Covid-19. FAQs on the wearing of face masks was sent to all primary schools by email on Monday morning of this week. It was also posted on Monday to the Department’s online communications system which is available to all schools, published on gov.ie and disseminated to education partners as well as provided to media.
The Department has been made aware that some schools did not receive the FAQs by email and re-sent the guidance to all primary schools on Tuesday morning. I have asked my Department to review this. In any case where a school does not receive Department guidance, they can make contact with the Department’s COVID-19 support helpline by email or by telephone for assistance.
249. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) has an entitlement to a State pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60886/21]
View answerAccording to the records of my Department, the person concerned reached pension age on 1 November 2012 and has not yet applied for State pension (contributory). I have arranged for a copy of the person’s social insurance contribution record to issue to them, together with an application form for State pension (contributory).
Under current eligibility conditions, an individual must have 520 full-rate paid contributions in order to qualify for standard State pension (contributory). 520 full-rate contributions equate to 10 years of full-rate insurable employment. Factors such as an individual’s social insurance record, their attachment to the workforce, and their countries of employment affect the rate of pension entitlement. On receipt of a completed application, the person’s State pension (contributory) entitlement can be examined by a Deciding Officer and they will be notified of the outcome.
The person concerned applied for the means-tested residency-based State pension (non-contributory) on 5 November 2021. Based on the information provided with their application, they do not qualify for this pension. Their assessed weekly means (half the assessable means of the couple) exceed the current statutory limit for State pension (non-contributory). The family home is not included in the means assessment.
The person’s spouse may wish to apply for an Increase for qualified adult (IQA) payment on their State pension (contributory) in respect of the person concerned. An IQA is a means-tested payment, payable to State pension (contributory) claimants whose spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is being wholly or mainly maintained by them, and where that qualified adult’s personal means from any source does not exceed a means test income limit. Where property or assets are held jointly, the qualified adult's means are assessed as half of the total amount. Again, the family home is not included in the means assessment. On receipt of a completed application, eligibility for an Increase for qualified adult can be determined by a Deciding Officer. I have arranged for an application form to issue to the person’s spouse.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
